Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4) & Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4.5)[October 1, 2023]

[Mel]

@Narilka
Hey, how's Exit Strategy coming along? It's your first time reading it, right? Curious to hear you thoughts.

@Laura
Yeah, I'm actually okay with minimal character description, except how it it informs the story. As in, this character is huge and could definitely pick up that smol character, but not the other way around. I think the Locked Tomb is the only series I've read where eye color is actually pertinent to mention. I suppose if you have a very large cast of characters, it can make it easier to keep track of everyone. Hm, or make it extra confusing, with more variables to keep track of.

I hope those hardcovers eventually make their way to your shelves. :)

Re: Ads
*HISSSSSSSS!*

[Narilka]

Mel wrote: "@Narilka
Hey, how's Exit Strategy coming along? It's your first time reading it, right? Curious to hear you thoughts. .."

Yes, it's my first time through. Sadly I have family in town so didn't read much last night. They leave tomorrow so I expect more reading time over the weekend :)

[Narilka]

Mel wrote: "Chapter 4,..."

Family has left and I got some reading in!

Also through Ch 4 (view spoiler)[I love how even through all the awkwardness, MB does care about this group of humans, giving them a survival plan is it heads off to rescue Mensah.

I shut my risk assessment module down. has to be the best ending line. I am expecting some awesome mayhem coming right up :D (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Yessss, such a badass line!!

[Nirkatze]

Mel wrote: "The only merch out there is fanmade, on sites like Etsy or Redbubble, etc.

This is the design I got myself:
https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/T......"

Took me a while to track down my t-shirt..
https://www.etsy.com/listing/10400589...

I think I like yours better, but I do like mine too. ^_^

[Narilka]

Ch 5 & 6 were satisfying. (view spoiler)[Murderbot explores feelings! I about melted when it let Mensah hug it lol

The whole rescue scene - damn MB is clever. I also loved how even though it rescued Mensah, the humans rescued it right back. That feels appropriate. Now how they get off this port and retrieve their mail with all the damning evidence against GreyCris. At least that's where I'm guessing this is heading.

I also noticed that MB did its best to not kill anyone or anything. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I finished. That was a nice ending for the original story arc. (view spoiler)[I was very surprised that MB damn near lost itself, its personality, but going so deep into the other bot to save everyone. That was an even bigger sacrifice than just getting blown up IMO.

It's pretty awesome that others want to hire "Rin" again and see the value of a free SecUnit. It gives hope that there could be others like MB out there if they were to hack their own governor units. (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Starting this today. Looking forward to it.

[Nirkatze]

re: Chapter 5&6--that was such a heart-melty scene! And totally agree how the reciprocal rescuing made things even better...

Grats on the finish! I'm so looking forward to the next one...

Remember we're doing #6 Fugitive Telemetry next to do chronological order over publication this time!

[Mel]

@Narilka
Yes, hear hear for reciprocal rescuing!
I also love that scene of (view spoiler)[Murderbot having to piece itself back together again. All disoriented and sleepy-drunk drugged-out feeling. Talking to the crew without its usual filter in place.
Indeed, I don't think it was a conscious choice to, "Hey, let me get myself deleted in this sacrificial act to save the day!" on the part of Murderbot, It just saw an opportunity, took the risk, and then-- oh shit. (hide spoiler)]

@Graeme
Good luck starting, and enjoy! Looking forward to your thoughts as you complete this arc.

[Graeme]

Nirkatze wrote: "re: Chapter 5&6--that was such a heart-melty scene! And totally agree how the reciprocal rescuing made things even better...

Grats on the finish! I'm so looking forward to the next one...

Remembe..."

Ohh? Should I read the short story #4.5 before or after book #4?

[Nirkatze]

@Graeme--4.5 takes place directly after the ending of #4.

[Graeme]

Ok, Thanks Nirkatze.

[Graeme]

40% into Exit Strategy.

The good guys have met up and have a 'not entirely terrible,' plan.

[Graeme]

Mel wrote: "Chapter 2:
Oh, how I love and hate this ad-inundated corporate dystopia. Wells is not subtle at all, and I do not care. Ugh, it's profoundly irritating even at a remove. Just imagining the overstim..."

Kinda already there in real life. Wells hit the zeitgeist with this story.

[Graeme]

Nirkatze wrote: "Up through Chapter 3! Love these books..."

Dobby gets a sock. MB buys clothes. Both crossing thresholds of freedom.

[Graeme]

Mel wrote: "Chapter 4...."

Indeed, Mel. The last line of Chapter 4 is an instant badass classic.

[Nirkatze]

Graeme wrote: "Dobby gets a sock. MB buys clothes. Both crossing thresholds of freedom."

OMG, this totally made my day. I kind of want this as a bumper sticker.

[Graeme]

@Nirkatze.

😁

[Laura]

Graeme wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Up through Chapter 3! Love these books..."

Dobby gets a sock. MB buys clothes. Both crossing thresholds of freedom."

What Nirkatze said! This totally made my day too! :)

[Laura]

This series seems to get better and better with each book. I even loved the short story and short stories are mostly a miss with me.

Spoiler for Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

(view spoiler)[I love the way MB cares for Mensah! Those little weird request message pings whenever she started to break down. I'm sure MB knows those little pings keep her anchored in the present and sane.

The: "SecUnit jumped over my head!" had me burst out laughing. Trust MB to do stuff that shocks humans out of their pants.

And the: "You can hug me if you need to." really made me want to hug MB.

I love the way MB is starting to be more human than humans. And I am curious to see how the killing machine vs person view of MB will unfold. One of the best parts of this series for me is the way in which a so called machine slowly but surely shocks everyone around by proving to be a person. That and MB's deadpan musings/mutters which never fail to get a reaction out of me.

There is one thing that this short story made me curious about: What is Mensah hiding? What is the secret she doesn't want people to discover? (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Nirkatze wrote: "Remember we're doing #6 Fugitive Telemetry next to do chronological order over publication this time.."

When are we starting this one?

[Graeme]

Hi Laura,

I feel that Mensah's secret is that she (view spoiler)[really cares about MB, but she is concerned about how MB will respond if she reveals her feelings. (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Finished the short story too. A very astute assessment of the nature of western civilization.

[Mel]

Can someone quote the passage that mentions a secret? I don't remember that part.

[Nirkatze]

Laura wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Remember we're doing #6 Fugitive Telemetry next to do chronological order over publication this time.."

When are we starting this one?"

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...?
Set for 10/15--so start day was Monday. ^^

[Nirkatze]

Mel wrote: "Can someone quote the passage that mentions a secret? I don't remember that part."

I'm not sure there's a specific mentioning of a secret, but rather that (view spoiler)[Mensah is trying to keep everyone from realizing how affected she was by the hostage experience--and only MB realizes how traumatized she was...

Maybe that's what people are talking about? (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Yeah, something like what Nirkatze wrote.

It's not like Mensah says to herself, "I have a secret and I'm not going to tell anyone."

It's more like noticing someone dancing around a taboo subject they want to acknowledge and talk about, but don't feel for one reason or another that they can.

My initial thoughts were that Mensah was worried about confronting MB with her feelings, as knowing that MB may struggle with what Mensah was feeling and wanting to spare MB such discomfort, but after reading what Nirkatze wrote, I'm now leaning toward her own trauma and rescue, which is wrapped around MB too, and Mensah does note on page one the oppressive resemblance of the office room with where she was kept captive by GrayCris....

She is traumatized and it's fresh and she's still processing it.

[Nirkatze]

I think this also becomes more apparent in the next book too, so I have a bit of foreknowledge there...

[Graeme]

Nirkatze wrote: "I think this also becomes more apparent in the next book too, so I have a bit of foreknowledge there..."

Hmmm... now I'm intrigued.

By the way, is that book #5 or #6?

[Nirkatze]

Both--but a little more Network Effect (chronologically 6) than Fugitive Telemetry (chronologically 5) I think.

[Graeme]

Ok. got it. Thanks.

[Laura]

I was also actually leaning more towards what Graeme thought because (view spoiler)[Mensah doesn't seem to be adverse to counseling. She just seems to be afraid she'll let her walls down and the counsellors will find out something she wants to have kept secret. (hide spoiler)]

But then I am often wrong so...🙈😂

[Nirkatze]

The feeling I was getting was the sort of... common hesitation a lot of people have towards (view spoiler)[counselling--oh, it's good for other people, but I don't need it... there's nothing wrong (I don't want people to think/see something's wrong) with me... and a fear of maybe reliving the experience through counseling... (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Hi Nirkatze, very plausible.